Protein Cookies: Can You Snack Your Way to Good Health?

It’s official: you can now eat your cake and have it too. Well, if by cake you mean cookie and if by the rest of it you mean protein. That’s right y’all: protein cookies are here! And not just any protein cookies: gluten-free protein cookies. Naturally I had to do some noshing research on your behalf and report back.

Right now our culture is pretty protein-obsessed. And for good reason! Protein is essential for building up muscle and keeping us strong. Lots of beginning of the year dieters (not to mention what seems to be the vast majority of folks on social media…. sighhh…), are on a “clean” eating kick, so it’s natural that people are looking for healthier ways to get their sweet tooth satisfied. And while protein bars, supplements and shakes have all been around, they aren’t quite as appealing as the idea of “useful” or “clean” dessert.

Unfortunately, while promising, protein cookies might not be all they’re cracked up to be. For one thing, all three of the PCs (let’s just go ahead and nickname them that, shall we), that I tried were lacking in either flavor, texture or both. Not to mention that the overall protein levels aren’t high – the PCs outlined below average 11 grams per serving – while the sugar content, at an average of 12.6 grams of sugar, isn’t exactly low. Typically with any “health” food I look for more protein than sugar, and all three cookies failed to deliver that (two managed to “tie” between sugar and protein, as you’ll see below, but for me, that’s not quite good enough for a cookie being marketed as a health food!).

Beyond the paltry health benefits, the taste wasn’t quite up to snuff either. I get the sense that if I was someone who didn’t eat “real” cookies I might be super into these and not mind the flavour and texture as much, but for me, someone who definitely partakes in and enjoys regular non-protein goodies, not so much. The Oatmega Chocolate Chip cookie brought me back to my wheat eating days, as is it’s crumbly texture is reminiscent of a “Nutri-Grain” bar. Unfortunately no one craving a cookie is feeling stoked to get a Nutrigrain bar instead! Plus, the chip portion of the cookie (crucial!), was so lacking that I actually ended up eating some chocolate afterward just because the craving was so strong! Talk about an adverse result!

The NuGo Dark Chocolate Chip was the biggest bummer though, not only because of the taste (I’ll get to that), but because… brace yourselves… one serving is half the cookie. That’s right, half a cookie is a serving. Which means that at 13 grams of sugar per serving, you’re looking at 26 grams if you eat the whole cookie (two servings). I might have been able to overlook the sugar content if it wasn’t for the fact that the taste is badly impacted by their use of chocolate liquor… I tried a third and ended up tossing the rest! In the end, only the Oatmega Peanut Butter Cookie (featured at the top of the photo to the right), actually felt satisfying for me. In fact, I’d recommend it! The flavor was good and so was the texture. Good job Oatmega!

All told, protein cookies have potential, but they aren’t about to replace real goodies for this being anytime soon! Want to learn more? Check out the nutrition comparison below. 

If you know about any other gluten-free flavors/types/brands please share in the comments section – I’d love to hear about your experiences and hear your recommendations!

Xoxo,